Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature

What is O.I.L.?
The Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature (O.I.L.) hosts a five-day mock legislative session in the Oklahoma State Capitol once a semester consisting of delegations from over twenty universities across the state. It also includes a moot court competition and model executive branch. Providing outstanding net-working opportunities and a wide array of experience to all participants, O.I.L. is unparalleled for students with an interest in politics, law, or Oklahoma state government.

Session at the Capitol
Running from Wednesday evening until Sunday afternoon, O.I.L. state session is an immersive experience that puts its members directly into the seats of Oklahoma State Legislators. Members are encouraged to write legislation to present at session, and over the course of the week, will trace many bills through the full legislative process, beginning in committee hearings on Thursday morning, floor time in both the O.I.L. House and Senate, and ending with a signature from the Governor of O.I.L.

In addition to the mock legislature portion of O.I.L, which runs continuously throughout the course of session, there is a model Executive branch working behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly. Members include the Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State.

Other Areas of involvement
There are other areas to get involved, besides the legislature. The moot court competition is divided into three rounds; a preliminary round where all participants are guaranteed to argue each side of a case at least once, and based on the quality of case presentation and legal reasoning, may continue through the competition ultimately to the final round. The court is modeled after the Oklahoma Supreme Court, dealing with both appellate and original jurisdiction, and is overseen by OIL members appointed by the Governor to serve on the bench. Competitors are given the case and supporting case law in advance, and must build their arguments based solely from the citations provided.

The journalism competition is a relatively new addition to OIL. Journalists write stories about the major events each day of session and publish them in the official newspaper, the O.I.L. Reporter.

The Goal
The primary goal of O.I.L. is to provide a hands-on look at how our state government operates. As an organization seeded deeply in tradition, O.I.L. is a platform for students to voice concerns to their peers, the media, and the state government. Every session, a packet of the most progressive legislative ideas is compiled and delivered to the state legislature and has brought about concrete changes in the state in the past.

The ultimate goal is to come away from O.I.L. with a new appreciation and understanding of the inner workings of the Oklahoma state government, and to have an amazing time while doing so. Every member who attends even one session will undoubtedly come away with a wealth of new professional contacts, a broader view of state issues, and friendships that will last a lifetime.

O.I.L. at SNU
SNU has a tradition of active participation in O.I.L. SNU’s delegation meets for one hour each week to prepare for the session by researching issues, writing bills, learning parliamentary procedure, engaging in practice debates on student-written bills, writing cases (moot court), and arguing cases (moot court).

O.I.L. can be taken for 1 or more credit hours depending on the student’s role in the delegation and state-wide organization.

Founded in 1899, Southern Nazarene University is a private, Christian, liberal arts university - a service of the Church of the Nazarene. Located on a 40-acre campus just west of Oklahoma City, SNU grew out of several small colleges committed to training people for service to God and their fellow man. More than 32,000 alumni work and serve throughout the United States and the world. Read More